Manchester City bad-boy Mario Balotelli: I'm sorry

The shamed striker became public enemy No.1 at Eastlands after his red card on Thursday for a chest-high kung-fu kick on Dynamo Kiev defender Goran Popov.

Without him for most of the match, 10-man City crashed out of the Europa League 2-1 on aggregate.

The volatile Italian is facing a club fine of two weeks’ wages from livid boss Mancini, a whopping £280,000.

He is set to be dropped for the trip to Chelsea tomorrow as well as the Italian squad for their Euro 2012 qualifier on Friday against Slovenia.

Balotelli’s team-mates have also run out of patience with the hothead hitman – and have told him to his face.

He apologised to them at the training ground yesterday and last night issued a grovelling public statement.

He said: “It was not my intention to hurt anyone. I want to express my sincere apologies to Popov. I was tryingmy best for the team as I always do. The ball was in the air and I went for it with my foot high.

“In retrospect the tackle was poor and I’m very sorry to my team-mates in particular that I got sent off so early in such an important game.

“I should have shown more consideration, but I was so involved in the game. It was not a good way to repay the manager, who has shown so much faith in me, or the owners and fans who have made me so welcome since I arrived from Italy.

“It is not an easy period for me but I will overcome it with the help of everybody.”

But midfield hardman Nigel De Jong blasted his team-mate and said: “Mario is a talented boy but I’ve told him he’s got to learn from his mistakes. He’s hurting his own team by doing these things.

“We’re going to sit with him and he’s going to realise that he’s got to change, because he’s always going to be a marked man.

“Some of the things he shows at times are unbelievable. But he’s a young boy of 20 and he has to learn from his mistakes.

“He has experienced guys around him and has to listen to them. He was angry and he was disappointed. He let his team down but he knows it and it is a good lesson for him.”

City must bounce back at Stamford Bridge to boost their hopes of Champions League qualification and Mancini said: “I don’t know if I could rely on him for a game like this.

“Mario is young. He needs to think about what he wants to do because he has everything he needs to become a fantastic striker. But he lost the tie for us this time. I am angry with him, definitely. Important players cannot do what Mario did in this game.

“I hope every day he will change. I can’t understand his behaviour sometimes.”